On March 18, 2026
Roll-out of Viens Commission Recommendations: Funding no longer sufficient six years after initial commitments
The RCAAQ responded to the 2026–2027 budget, emphasizing the urgent need for lasting action and impactful commitments.
Wendake, March 18, 2026 – n response to the tabling of the Gouvernement du Québec’s 2026–2027 budget, the Regroupement des centres d’amitié autochtones du Québec (RCAAQ) reiterates that there are still documented urgent needs in many sectors—documented, in particular, by the Public Inquiry Commission on relations between Indigenous Peoples and certain public services in Québec (the Viens Commission)—that require significant commitments.
While demand for the Native Friendship Centres’ services continues to grow, the absence of impactful, lasting measures to support their development limits the Centres’ ability to fully respond to the realities of increasing numbers of First Nations members and Inuit living in urban areas. The 2026–2027 budget provides no indication that program funding will be maintained or increased beyond the current fiscal year, which hinders long-term service planning and development.
Native Friendship Centres offer a wide range of programs adapted to Indigenous realities and play a key role in facilitating access to services and safe environments. Yet, despite innovative and tested solutions, the Centres are not able to fully accomplish their mission given the lack of sufficient investment, even as they cope with ever-growing needs. The RCAAQ’s position is clear: Budgetary restraints must not lead to second-rate services for urban Indigenous populations. A budget that fails to take Indigenous realities into account will widen socio-economic gaps between Indigenous and other populations in Quebec, turning budget cuts into social cuts for society’s most vulnerable.
Current funding levels are insufficient to adequately implement the Viens Commission recommendations and meet the growing needs of the organizations providing frontline services. Despite their crucial contribution, Native Friendship Centres lack the resources needed to fully carry out their work and provide services commensurate with the challenges they face. The RCAAQ also points out that the cost of inaction is always higher in society than that of investment, and it calls on the government to take decisive action to ensure sustainable funding for its member Centres.
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Despite constructive collaboration that has developed over the years between the RCAAQ and several provincial partners, the amplification of needs in key sectors requires funding proportionate to needs. Without predictable, recurrent funding tailored to Indigenous realities in urban areas, it will be impossible for us to ensure the continuity, the quality and the development of our services. Urban Indigenous populations must be fully considered as government priorities. »
— Tanya Sirois, Executive Director at Regroupement des centres d’amitié autochtones du Québec
About the Regroupement des centres d’amitié autochtones du Québec
The Regroupement des centres d’amitié autochtones du Québec is a network of 11 Friendship Centres in 14 cities and towns that offer First Nations and Inuit culturally relevant and safe services that contribute to the harmony and reconciliation between peoples in Quebec cities. Native Friendship Centres are the largest urban service infrastructure for urban Indigenous people, offering a range of integrated services in a variety of sectors, including health, social services, justice, social inclusion, education, employability, early childhood, youth and much more.
Information:
Florence Picard
Communications Advisor
florence.picard@rcaaq.ca